The Joke's On Me
by 68luvcarter
Summary: First NCIS story-fairly new to show. Hope I wrote in character. McGee is suppose to receive a writing award but is attacked on the way to the ceremony.


I DO NOT OWN NCIS OR ANY CHARACTERS FROM THE SHOW

I couldn't believe it when I got the call from the local writer's guild. I, Timothy McGee was going to be given a writing award. Ever since I was a child escaping into my own world writing adventures and exciting stories of heroes and heroines I had hoped to live my dream of writing my own book. Now here I was starting my third and being rewarded for my efforts on the first one. I was thrilled and I couldn't wait to share the news with my team. I was allowed to bring only one guest and I hoped no one would be upset if they were not the one to go with me to the ceremony.

I had lost my parents a few months ago in a car accident that left my sister, Sarah and me alone. I knew Sarah would have no desire to go, she barely wanted to listen to my excitement about the actual book when it was published. Of course she had her own writing and her own friends and life to enjoy. She wouldn't want to tag along with her big brother to a stuffy function. I called to be sure, not wanting to hurt her feelings by not asking but wasn't surprised when she told me she couldn't go. Still I had my friends and high hopes that one of them would enjoy going with me. My biggest obstacle was deciding whom to ask.

Abby was a big supporter in my writing endeavor so I felt she would be the one I should ask. However she said she had plans already for the evening and was so very sorry that she couldn't go. She did seem very happy for me and I admit I was disappointed that she wouldn't be by my side. Abby was very exuberant about my book and her excitement was flattering and had been a relief considering how the rest of the team felt about being inspiration for my characters. It was nice to have someone not be upset with me about a 'fake' character.

When I asked Ziva she seemed really surprised at the invitation, she said she was flattered that I had asked her. Unfortunately she also had plans that she could not change and couldn't go with me either. Disappointed again I thought okay I still have Tony and he would never turn down a party with pretty girls and free food.

Tony laughed at first until he realized I was serious then stuttered an apology that he was going to a James Bond film festival with a friend. Funny I thought I was a friend too. My options were running out and my thrill at the award was starting to dim. It wasn't as much fun to be honored if the people you cared about didn't appreciate your efforts. My agent and the fans I had met were a confidence builder when they told me how much they enjoyed my book but it was different feeling when it was someone that meant something to you praising your writing.

I knew it was a long shot that Gibbs would attend with me but I really wanted one of my friends to be there. I didn't have many people that I was close to and it meant a lot to me that one of them be there with me. Getting this award was a dream and I really wanted one of them to go. When I asked Gibbs he never really answered yes or no, just gave me the Gibbs look that I knew meant not to bring it up again. I guess that was another no.

Ducky was my last hope. He seemed sincere when he told me he had plans with his mother. He told me he was proud of my accomplishment and would have loved to be there but sadly was unable to attend. I had exhausted all my choices and no one seemed to want to support me. I knew my friend's interests were different than mine but I always made the effort to do the things they wanted to do. I had hoped to have the favor returned and was rather hurt that none of them seemed interested in something that meant so much to me.

It wasn't until I got off the elevator and rounded the corner into autopsy later in the day to pick up a report I needed and overheard them talking that I realized what a clueless man I was. I had never felt so hurt as I listened to each of them laughing and joking about the excuses that had to use to get out of going with me. .

Feeling like a fool, I turned around before they saw me and headed back upstairs to my desk. I guess I would be attending alone.

I guess I was pretty quiet the remainder of the day since Tony and Ziva seemed determined to pester me until I joined in their conversation. But my heart wasn't in the exchange. Every joke, every tease felt like a slap in the face. I thought back over the years at all we had been through together and wondered if I had always been a joke to them.

"Do you think he suspects anything?" Abby asked.

"McGeek hasn't got a clue," Tony answered.

"I feel bad for turning him down, he seemed so excited until we all told him no," Ziva said.

"Maybe we should concentrate on more work and less on McGee's award ceremony," Gibbs added with a pointed look.

"Right boss," Tony stated, "but you got to admit he did look like a kicked puppy. Kind of takes the enjoyment out of surprising him if he feels hurt."

"Don't worry Anthony, my boy, when he sees all of us at the ceremony his spirits will definitely improve," Ducky said while patting Tony on the back.

"How did you manage to get tickets for all of us? I thought he could only bring one guest?" Ziva asked.

Abby smiled and said, "I have my ways."

I worked hard the remainder of the day but couldn't seem to shake the sadness surrounding me. I saw the concerned looks that passed between each member of the team but could find no desire to talk to any of them about what I had heard in autopsy or how hurt I felt. Abby had made it her personal mission to get to cheer me up but even her endless, hyper happiness couldn't shake my resolve to guard my heart from further pain.

Evening came without fanfare. I hadn't mentioned it anymore since it had obviously not meant as much to them. Honestly it didn't seem to mean as much to me anymore either. I would be going alone. My father had always encouraged both Sarah and myself to pursue our writing. He had been an English teacher and so proud of both of us, I couldn't miss the ceremony if only for him. I knew in my heart that he and my mom would see me even if no one else did.

I dressed in my tux and drove to the building the guild had rented for the evening. The crowd was bigger than I was expecting so I had to park several blocks away. I was walking with my head down or else I might have noticed the two men when they approached me. Instead I was lost in thought until I felt something hard and heavy hit me in the head. I don't remember anything else until I woke up in the ally.

When I came to it was to the sight of one man going through my wallet and the other kneeling beside me. The man beside me kept watching me and was making me very nervous. I didn't like the way he was staring but every time I tried to move away my head would explode and my stomach would clench with nausea. I knew it was probably a concussion. The man with my wallet was tall and thin, dirty and when he looked at me his eyes were full of hate. He kept telling the other man to hurry, they had to leave. I glanced back at the man kneeling next to me and was sorry that I had. He was a large, bulky man and when he caught my glance he smiled. His smile made me cringe. His teeth were black and I could smell his breath which only added to my nausea. He leaned closer to me, stroked my cheek and whispered in my ear.

"Y're a pretty one," the large man grinned.

I shuddered and tried again to back away. There was a dumpster on my right side blocking my view of the street and making it impossible to see if help could be nearby. Every inch I moved away he seemed to move two inches closer to me. I looked at the thin man, hoping he might convince the large man to leave before they were spotted but he had turned thoughtful eyes upon me.

"Yep, he is rather pretty, and he smells nice too, maybe we should have a little fun," the thin man answered, lips curling in a smile of his own.

My head was spinning and I was starting to see double from the knock on the head. I knew I had to do something to save myself. Finally I had reached the brick wall behind me and could not move away any farther. I was trying to think of something to say that could make them leave when my hand hit something small and cool on the ground beside me. A quick glance to my left and I saw my cell phone.

"Lenny?" the large man said, "why don't you keep lookout while me and the pretty fellow get to know each other a little better?"

"Sure thing Ben," the thin man answered with a laugh, "then I can introduce myself as well."

This doesn't bode well, I thought. Now not only have I seen their faces but I know their names. Guess that means they don't plan on leaving me alive. Not that I really expected them to. Lenny walked a few steps away from Ben and me and turned sideways towards the ally entrance. Ben glanced up at him and smiled and I made a subtle grab for my phone. I muted the sound and pressed one on my speed dial. Gibbs.

I heard the phone pick up and I heard Gibbs say his name but started talking quickly to cover the sound.

I don't even remember what I talked about, I just started rambling anything that came to mind that I thought might convince them to leave me alive and un-assaulted. I fought with all my strength against Ben when he grabbed my legs and pulled me closer to him. I kicked and punched, landing a few good blows across his face and chest before he gave up on pulling me closer. Instead he started kicking me in the back and stomach. I would turn to protect one side only to have the other side beaten. After a moment the kicks were coming from both front and back and I knew that Lenny had joined in the fray. I threw up from the blows to my stomach which only pissed them off more. As I lay there trying to catch my breath from the assault they each grabbed an arm and pulled me away from the wall.

I saw the flash of silver as Lenny removed a knife from his sock and proceeded to cut the front of my shirt away from my chest. I felt the sting as the sharp knife grazed across my stomach leaving small cuts in its wake. Ben was removing my shoes and I felt his hand run across the front of my pants as he reached for my belt. I shuddered from the unwelcome touch and he laughed.

"Don't worry boy, I'll be gentle," Ben laughed heartily.

I nearly cried in despair when I felt my pants and underwear being pulled from my body. I tried to roll away to cover my nudity but my body felt weak, beaten and I didn't have to strength to fight them both.

"Roll him over on his belly," Lenny said.

"Please, don't," I pleaded. I had wanted to be strong and not show them any fear but my whole body was frozen with it. "Please."

I felt a hard bite on my hip and cried out more in fear than pain. I had dropped my phone during my battle with the two men and could only pray that Gibbs had realized my plight and was able to trace the call. I tried to crawl away from the hands that were running over my body. I felt sick. I kicked my legs and threw my arms in every direction I could trying to find a target. I was getting tired but I couldn't stop fighting. If I stopped fighting I was dead.

I was bracing myself for the violation I knew I couldn't hold off when suddenly I heard a voice calling out.

"Get off him, you bastard!" Gibbs spoke quietly but his voice was forceful and full of hate.

I felt the knife press against my neck. I couldn't turn my head to see them but I knew the team was there. I was relieved but also humiliated. I hated that they were seeing me like this. Naked, bleeding and about to be raped by two men, I was horrified and knew I would never be able to face them after this.

"Now why did you go and ruin the party there, chief?" Lenny said. "Can't you see we're all just having a little fun?"

"Doesn't look like he's having much fun to me?" Ziva answered. I could hear the anger in her voice. Her voice was vibrating with it.

"Listen you scumbags, you have thirty seconds to get off him or you will be sorry," Tony added. "I promise you," Tony continued, "I will chop off your family jewels. How much of a party do you think you'll have then?"

"Get off him, NOW!" Gibbs screamed.

I could feel the tension in Ben's body but I couldn't see his face. I didn't know if either of us would leave the ally alive.

I knew when he made his decision. I knew I was going to die.

I felt the blade as it sank into my side. I felt the jerk of it in Ben's hand as his body was pulled from mine. I heard Lenny's scream and saw him, from the corner of my eye, run away from my team only to run into Abby. I heard another him scream once more and then all was quiet.

I heard Ziva say my name.

I saw Tony drop his jacket across my naked body.

I felt Ducky's hand at my wound.

I saw Abby's worried face.

I wonder why their all dressed up?

The last thing I remember seeing was Gibbs worried face; then everything went black.

My head was throbbing and my whole body hurt. For a brief moment I thought I was dead but then I realized death wouldn't hurt this much. I heard a whisper and tried to force open my eyes but I couldn't. I felt a hand on top on mine gently squeezing and was sure it had to be Abby. I felt another hand sweep across my forehead softly and thought how safe it made me feel. No one had touched me like that since my mom. I struggled to open my eyes and was surprised to find it was not Abby with her gentle touches but Gibbs. I looked around the room and noticed Ziva and Abby sleeping in the other hospital bed. Ducky and Tony were asleep in a couple of chairs against the wall.

Gibbs reached above my head and dimmed the light easing the pain behind my eyes. I tried to speak but my throat was so dry I couldn't talk. He reached for a cup and the pitcher of water sitting on the tray table at the foot of my bed. He held the straw to my lips for me to drink. I opened my mouth to try again and he shook his head.

"Don't try to talk Tim, we can talk tomorrow. The knife nicked your liver and you had to have surgery to repair it so you're probably going to be pretty weak for awhile," Gibbs said.

I tried to nod but the motion made me queasy. He reached up and started stroking my hair again and I closed my eyes. The tender touch reminded me so much of my mom and dad that I felt tears sting my eyelids. Gibbs laid his other hand back across mine and I knew I was safe. I slept again.

When I woke again Ziva, Abby and Ducky were all gone. Tony was sitting in a chair next to the bed and Gibbs was pacing the floor. I watched Gibbs for a moment unsure if the moment during the night was real or a dream.

"Hey Probie," Tony exclaimed excitedly, "you're finally awake. We were getting pretty worried."

"Sorry Tony," I answered, my voice sounded rough and I tried to clear my throat.

"Here Tim," Gibbs said as he put the straw against my lips once more for me to drink.

"Thanks Boss," I replied.

"Do you feel like talking?" Gibbs softly said.

I didn't speak for a minute. All I could think of was Gibbs and the team seeing me broken and naked in that ally. I felt my face flush with heat and lowered my eyes.

"Don't," Gibbs said sternly, "What happened to you was NOT your fault and it is NOTHING to be ashamed or embarrassed about."

"McGee," Tony spoke quietly, "you don't have to feel bad about anything. If anyone should feel bad it's us."

I looked up when door opened and Abby, Ziva and Ducky walked into the room carrying coffee cups. Their voices went quiet when they saw I was awake then they all walked slowly to surround my bed.

"Timmy….I am so sorry," Abby said.

"We all are sorry," Ziva added, "we were not very good friends to you."

"You are my friends…." I started to speak but was interrupted.

"Timothy, you were happy about achieving something you have long wanted and instead of showing you how happy we were for you, we played a joke," Ducky spoke sadly.

"McGee, we thought we would surprise you by pretending to turn you down and then show up at the ceremony. If you had made it to the ceremony you would have found all of us waiting for you," Tony stated.

"What are you talking about Tony?" I asked.

With a sigh Gibbs explained, "We were all waiting for you to arrive. Abby had talked the guild director into letting all of us go with you. It was suppose to be a surprise. We just didn't expect you to get waylaid by those men."

"We are all so proud of you McGee and we all wanted to be there. Tony had found out before you got your letter and Abby came up with the idea of surprising you. We never meant to hurt you," Ziva said with a sad smile.

"Can you forgive us Tim?" Abby asked, eyebrows raised.

"Of course. You guys are my family," I answered. "I thought you didn't care. You all really wanted to go with me?"

"Yeah Tim," Gibbs said with a small smile, "we all wanted to be there."

"What happened to Lenny and Ben?" I asked glancing down at the covers across my lap. I felt my face flush when I remembered how they had found me; what they had prevented.

"Let's just say after a few moments with Jethro, they confessed everything to the police. There won't be a trial and they both are going to jail," Ducky answered.

"Good," I spoke softly.

"I think McGee is looking a little tired, guys. Why don't you all go home and get some rest," Gibbs started only to be interrupted by a chorus of voices.

"I'll stay," Abby cried.

"He shouldn't be alone," Ziva spoke.

"I should stay, the girls will treat him like a baby," Tony smiled.

"Well, I don't mind staying and I have medical training so I can…." Ducky started.

"He's in a hospital Ducky, we won't need medical training," Tony answered.

"I'll stay, no arguments," Gibbs said with a glare. "Go home, all of you."

I kept quiet as each of my team members came to tell me goodnight with a kiss on the cheek (Abby), a hug (Ziva) or a pat on the arm or leg (Tony and Ducky).

When everyone had filed out of the room and Gibbs and I were alone, he made his way back to my bedside, pulling a chair behind him.

"Tim," Gibbs started.

"I'm fine, boss. Don't worry," I said.

"Tim," Gibbs said more firmly. "If those guys had jumped Tony would you think any less of him?"

"Of course not," I answered.

"Then don't presume that we think less of you. What happened was not your fault. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Don't over-think this, okay? You survived this because you are strong and I hope you know that if you need to talk to anyone about this, whether one of us or someone professional, it's understandable. Just don't shut us out. You're important to all of us," Gibbs quietly spoke.

"All of you?" I asked.

"All of us, McGee," Gibbs answered.

"Okay boss,"

"Boss?"

"Yeah McGee?"

"Thanks."

Gibbs gave me a small smile as he settled into the chair next to my bed.

I closed my eyes to sleep and felt his hand pat my arm. I smiled and knew everything would be okay.

The End.


End file.
